Fitter (General)

A Fitter (General) assembles, installs, maintains and repairs mechanical equipment and machinery in industrial, manufacturing and plant settings. They interpret technical drawings and specifications, use precision measuring instruments, and perform hands-on fabrication and fitting work to ensure equipment operates safely and to specification. The role requires competency in welding, machining, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, and adherence to workplace safety standards and asset management protocols.

Interpret technical drawings, blueprints and assembly specifications to plan fitting and installation sequences. Measure and mark components using precision instruments including micrometers, vernier calipers, dial gauges and laser alignment tools. Perform manual metalworking operations including filing, chiselling, reaming and hand-tapping to fit components to tolerance. Operate machine tools including lathes, milling machines and drilling equipment to fabricate or modify metal parts. Assemble mechanical equipment by fitting bearings, shafts, gears, pulleys and couplings using hand tools and mechanical presses. Install machinery and equipment in production facilities, utilities and plant, including alignment, levelling and anchoring to foundations. Perform preventive maintenance on industrial equipment by inspecting, lubricating, adjusting and replacing worn components according to maintenance schedules. Diagnose mechanical faults using systematic troubleshooting and hand tools to isolate and repair damaged or misaligned parts.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You'll need a Certificate III or IV before employers will hire you, which usually means an apprenticeship that takes several years. The work is physically demanding and repetitive: spending hours measuring, filing and aligning parts to tiny tolerances. Your hands and back take a beating. Pay stays capped unless you move into supervision or specialisation.

Regional employers often offer relocation support. Remote work doesn't apply to this hands-on trade.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 3232, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• CAM softwarecore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Advise on machinery malfunctions
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• ERP and Inventory Systems
• Process Documentation
• Process Improvement Identification
• Record Management
• Regulatory and Legislative Awareness
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Fitter (General) workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026